The Prime Minister is expected to meet with the country’s major iwi leaders at Waitangi shortly; and the Government-chartered evacuation flight from Wuhan is on its way to Auckland and is flying over West Papua now with 193 passengers on board, including 100 New Zealanders.
1.As the flooding in Southland grows, residents of parts of Balclutha also now face the threat of having to evacuate away from the rising river levels. Clutha Civil Defence says the hospital road detention flood bank is at risk of breaching due to the heavy rain falling in the area.
2.Nearly 500 people who have been trapped by flooding in the Milford Sound area are being evacuated by fleet of helicopters. The manager of Destination Fiordland, Madeline Peacock says most of the 495 evacuees including tourists, staff and locals are being flown to Knobs Flat about 45 minutes north of Te Anau on the Milford Road.
3.The Prime Minister is expected to meet with the country’s major iwi leaders at Waitangi shortly. The Iwi Chairs Forum has spent the past two days deliberating major issues in Te Ao Māori ahead of their meeting with Jacinda Ardern.
4.There were emotional scenes this morning as hundreds gathered to open the new museum Te Rau Aroha at Waitangi. The museum commemorates Maori commitment to New Zealand in times of war.
5.A man who grew up near an Auckland house where human remains have been found says a previous owner went missing more than 15-years ago. Contractors renovating a property on Marlborough St in Mt Eden stopped working last week after unearthing the bones.
6.The Government-chartered evacuation flight from Wuhan is on its way to Auckland and is flying over West Papua now with 193 passengers on board, including 100 New Zealanders.
7.A huge haul of crayfish could be released back into the ocean because coronavirus plague China has refused to take them. But the release will be limited and will be handled with care.
8.Earth movers are being used to dig barriers in a bid to contain a fire that’s been burning West of Hastings since Monday. The blaze on forestry and farmland near Tikokino flared up again early this morning due to strong winds.
9.The number of people out of work has edged lower and wage growth remains strong. Official figures show the unemployment rate eased to a seasonally adjusted four percent in the three months ended December from 4.1 percent in the previous quarter.
10.Pete Buttigieg took the lead in the first batch of long-delayed results from the chaotic Iowa Democratic Party caucuses, with about 62 percent of precincts reporting. Bernie Sanders was in second place, Elizabeth Warren in third, while former Vice President Joe Biden trailed badly in fourth place.
11.Several years on from the controversial Saudi ship deal, officials have accepted it was poor value for money and say such arrangements won’t be repeated. In 2016 the Auditor General issued a report on the deal in which the then National Government gifted a Saudi livestock importer $11 million in cash, livestock and agricultural equipment.
12.The Far North town of Kaikohe is preparing emergency measures in case its water supply runs out. Residents now face restrictions limiting them to using water only for drinking, cooking and washing.
13.Consumer says New Zealanders are buying greener products. Chief Executive Sue Chetwin says a survey by the Consumer body suggests six out of 10 buyers are taking the environment into serious consideration when making a purchase.
14.Japan’s first robot bartender has started pouring drinks at the bar in Tokyo.The industrial robot chats about the weather while serving beer and mixing cocktails.
